FORT WORTH, Texas -- The Dickies 500 may be three months away, but the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway suddenly will be thrust to center stage this week courtesy of Will Ferrell.

“Talladega Nights – The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” will premiere nationally on Friday, and the Dickies 500 owns a prominent “role” in the NASCAR-themed film starring Ferrell as racing sensation Ricky Bobby. In celebration of the Dickies 500 and Texas Motor Speedway being part of the potential blockbuster hit, the speedway is hosting a “Sneak Preview” private screening for media, sponsors and VIPs at 7:30 p.m. CT Tuesday at the AMC Grapevine Mills 30 theater complex located outside the Grapevine Mills Mall. KLLI-Live 105.3 FM, the official radio broadcaster of TMS, also has partnered in the event and ran a promotion for its listeners to land seats to the screening.

“This film is destined to be one of the great entertainment movies of the summer,” Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage said. “It pokes some fun at the outdated NASCAR stereotypes, but what else would you expect from a Will Ferrell comedy. You need to laugh at yourself at times, and I think it will be quite entertaining from the reviews I’ve seen. NASCAR has given the production and promotion of the film great support and we’re going to do the same. And Texas Motor Speedway is proud to have a distinct presence in the movie as fans will see when they go to the theater.”

In “Talladega Nights,” Bobby (Ferrell) defeats NASCAR NEXTEL Cup driver Jamie McMurray in the Dickies 500 (which is the November NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race at Texas) and later celebrates with the Dickies 500 trophy in Texas Motor Speedway’s Victory Lane. Texas Motor Speedway and its Victory Lane were recreated on location at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte for a key scene of the film. The sterling silver cowboy hat trophy Bobby lifts in Victory Lane is the actual Dickies 500 trophy, which was sent to the movie set for the film. Texas Motor Speedway also sent the Columbia Pictures production crew speedway t-shirts, TMS security personnel uniforms, EMT firesuits and helmets for various scenes as well as artwork for the filmmaker to recreate the TMS Victory Lane backdrop for the post-race footage in the movie.

The idea for “Talladega Nights” was the brainchild of co-writers Adam McKay and Ferrell. The two have been writing partners since meeting on the set of “Saturday Night Live.”

“We noticed how fascinating the world of NASCAR racing had become,” McKay said of his brainstorming meeting with Ferrell about the movie idea. “It’s gigantic. We weren’t even huge NASCAR fans at the time, but after we started going to the track, we got swept up in the phenomenon.”

Ferrell is a longtime sports fan and studied sports information for his degree from the University of Southern California before choosing acting as his career.
“I knew a fair amount about NASCAR just because it had grown in popularity,” Ferrell said. “I knew some of the top drivers and had a fairly good working knowledge of the sport. But I never understood the intensity of it all until we started writing the character of Ricky Bobby.”

McKay, who directed the film, made extra efforts to make sure the film was true to the authenticity of NASCAR such as filming during actual live race events, attention to detail for paint schemes for cars and uniforms, and all the background for sets.

“Texas Motor Speedway has always been a venue that fascinates fans and drivers,” Gossage said. “Having the most unique and creative trophies in motorsports, it was perfect for Columbia Pictures to use the Dickies 500 trophy and the speedway Victory Lane backdrop in the movie. We appreciated the opportunity.”

Texas Motor Speedway’s “Sneak Preview” will have some special props of its own, including the Wonder Bread Chevrolet that Bobby drives in the film. The speedway’s show car was repainted and wrapped with the Wonder Bread decal package and will be placed in a mock TMS victory lane that will be built in front of the theater. The car and victory lane will serve as a photo area for visiting VIPs and media and also as a media interview location.

Gossage and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver David Starr will arrive to the red carpet in separate TMS pace cars at approximately 6:40 p.m. Both will be available for pre-screening media interviews from 6:45-7 p.m. Pre-screening activities in the theater will begin at 7 p.m., including a welcome from Gossage. The screening will begin promptly at 7:30 p.m. inside The AMC Grapevine Mills 30 (3150 Grapevine Mills Parkway, Grapevine, Texas, 972-724-8000).

Immediately following the conclusion of “Talladega Nights” at approximately 9 p.m., the special guests will be made available once again to the media in the mock Victory Lane for interviews regarding the movie.

For additional information, please contact the Texas Motor Speedway Media Relations department at (817) 215-8520 or pr@texasmotorspeedway.com.